From barbecue restaurants to craft breweries, waterfalls, wineries and
must-see museums; North Alabama has something for everyone
to enjoy on the ultimate road trip. Take a ride from Florence to Fort Payne and
experience just a little of what North Alabama has to offer. The first stop on
your adventure is in beautiful Florence Alabama at the Frank Lloyd Wright
designed Rosenbaum House. The house was built for Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum
in 1940. It's one of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian homes which are single story
houses designed for middle-income families. The Rosenbaum House is the only
Frank Lloyd Wright designed building in the state of Alabama and attracts
visitors from all over the world. What has this house meant for the area?
So in the last three years we've received upwards of seven thousand
visitors a year, most who say they come here just to see this house. So we kind
of have to sell them on the area. Right, but there's lots to do.There's lots of other
things to do. After getting the full tour take a drive over to Smokin' on the
Boulevard, a roadside barbecue spot that's part of the North Alabama Barbecue Trail.
What kind of barbecue you serve here? It's a dry rub, hickory smoked. We do like a
whole Boston Butt, briskets, ribs, chicken, Bologna, cabbage. Wow!
That's so many meats! It's a good little variety. It's mainly we
just you know do the whole piece, wrap it up and send it out the door. And, not
really a restaurant. It's just a roadside barbecue stand. Just pickup and take away
kind of thing? Exactly. Grab your order to go and head over to Spring Park in
Tuscumbia for a picnic by the beautiful Coldwater Falls, one of these stops on
the North Alabama Waterfall Trail. This man-made waterfall was constructed with
more than 2,000 tons of local sandstone. It stretches 80 feet wide and 42 feet
tall and this is just moments away from the cute boutiques and shops of
downtown's Tuscumbia. Grab some dinner and get a good night of
rest because the next stop is Huntsville. On the way if you feel like checking off
another box on the Barbecue Trail, swing by Big Bob Gibson's barbecue in Decatur.
Try the smoked chicken and the world-famous white barbecue sauce
invented by Big Bob Gibson himself. You know Big Bob Gibson started with two
original sauces in 1925. He had a thin vinegar based sop mop, similar to Eastern
style North Carolina sauce, and then his barbecue white sauce.That is the
original white sauce. There's so much to do in Huntsville, but the biggest
attraction by far is the US Space and Rocket Center. Since first opening its
doors in 1979 the Space & Rocket Center has seen over 70 million visitors and
hosts an average of six hundred and fifty thousand people per year who come
to learn more about Alabama's contribution to the space program. And
one very big contribution came in a very small package. Ed Stewart, director of
exhibits and curation told us more. So I know one part of the exhibits here
features a really special and cute monkey and her name's Miss Baker. So,
what's her story? So Miss Baker was one of the first two monkeys to be put into
space and brought back alive here in the US. She was a squirrel monkey, very small
and very adorable. Yes, very small. Probably like 10 inches
tall 12 inches tall something like that, and she was a very important part of the
research and development of what would eventually become the human spaceflight
program. Well, I noticed over at her gravestone
there was a banana. Yes, that is a long-standing tradition.
They'll pick up a banana when they go have lunch or at breakfast and they will
pass by her marker and they'll put a banana or two on top of a gravestone as
sort of a thank you. That's so great! And that still happens even daily! Absolutely.
After you've learned everything you can about space, head over to Rocket Republic
Brewing Company for a selection of craft beers that are out of this world. Rocket
Republic is on the North Alabama Brewery Trail and we spoke with Eric Crigger
about a few of the beers that are fan favorites. Beers that are really popular
right now are generally the flavored beers. Kind of like the coffee beer? We have a coffee
cream ale. This beer I like because it's coffee flavor but it's light in color so
it's a sort of... the juxtaposition of that dark roasty coffee flavor with the light
color. You don't expect that. Another one is our cosmic cookie. It's an oatmeal
cookie flavored brown ale. That one is a very good breakfast beer, maybe. Do you have any
today? We do. You can also enjoy one of the regularly scheduled food trucks, a
game of darts, or lose yourself playing the vintage arcade games on-site. Catch
some Z's at one of the many great lodging options in the Huntsville area
because the last leg of your journey is full of great stops. On the way to your
next stop swing by the covered bridge on the Madison County Nature Trail then
head to Jules J Berta Vineyard in Albertville; part of the North Alabama
Wine Trail. Enjoy a taste of all the vineyard has to offer and discover your
new favorite wine made right here in Alabama. We have a lot of well-heeled
wine drinkers come here from Birmingham you know Huntsville and then of course
we have folks that come in never had a glass of wine in their life and we try
to make sure that regardless of what their background is or what they know or
don't know about wine is that they have a pleasant positive experience. Then head
outside and order a specialty pizza made on-site at the Tomato Tomato Wood Fired
Pizza Club. Next make your way to Orbix Hot Glass and admire the beautiful work
made by Cal Breed and his team. On top of all the beautiful pitchers, vases, and
centerpieces Orbix hosts classes throughout the year you can get up close
and personal with the glassblowing process. keep heading north for one more stop
from the Waterfall Trail. De Soto Falls, named for the Spanish explorer. The 107
foot waterfall is part of DeSoto State Park. The historic AA Miller Dam and the
upper falls can be seen by visitors of all abilities, but the lower waterfall
requires a walk down concrete stairs to the overlook. By this point you've surely
worked up an appetite and Wildflower Cafe in Mentone, Alabama has all the
charm and delicious food you could hope for on the last stop of this epic road
trip. I moved to Mentone in 1998 and started a health food store and it sold
local art and produce and that type thing so I want to incorporate the local
art, local produce, organic produce into a restaurant where I could accommodate
serving people as well as creating a great experience. Make sure you try the
tomato pie and the carrot cake. North Alabama has so much to see and so much
to do. From casual hangs, to the great outdoors, amazing food and engaging
museum experiences; everything you need to plan your very own ultimate road trip.
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